Trump pledges ‘cooperation and coordination’ to end Sudan’s civil war

United States President Donald Trump has pledged to address the conflict in Sudan, in response to an apparent request from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

On Wednesday, Trump announced his intention to intervene twice, once at the Saudi Investment Forum in Washington, DC, and a second time on his online platform, Truth Social.

“Arab Leaders from all over the World, in particular the highly respected Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, who has just left the United States, have asked me to use the power and influence of the Presidency to bring an immediate halt to what is taking place in Sudan,” Trump wrote.

“It is considered a Great Civilization and Culture, unfortunately gone bad, but one that can be fixed with the cooperation and coordination of Countries.”

At the investment forum, Trump relayed how the crown prince appealed to him personally for assistance.

“He mentioned Sudan yesterday, and he said, ‘Sir, you’re talking about a lot of wars, but there’s a place on Earth called Sudan, and it’s horrible what’s happening,’” Trump said.

The US president added that his administration had “already started working” on the issue within a half-hour of the crown prince’s request.

Trump had hosted Prince Mohammed, better known by his initials MBS, in Washington, DC, this week for the crown prince’s first official visit since 2018. The trip was marked by mutual praise between the two leaders and the promise of increased US-Saudi investments.

Prince Mohammed concluded his two-day trip on Wednesday after the business forum.

Trump, who has long lobbied for the Nobel Peace Prize, said he would collaborate with Saudi Arabia and other Arab partners to achieve a resolution to the conflict in Sudan.

“We will work with Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and other Middle Eastern partners to get these atrocities to end, while at the same time stabilizing Sudan,” Trump wrote in his post.

The civil war in Sudan erupted in April 2023, as the government-controlled Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) clashed with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for control of areas including the capital Khartoum.

The result has been widespread bloodshed, displacement and famine. The United Nations documented at least 3,384 civilian deaths between January and June of this year, putting the country on track to surpass the civilian death toll for all of 2024, which hit 4,238.

A UN-backed analysis declared famine in two war-torn cities, el-Fasher and Kadugli, this month. Approximately 45 percent of the population faces acute food insecurity as a result of the conflict.

The fighting has forced more than four million people to flee Sudan, heightening instability in the region. Within Sudan, the UN has documented evidence of mass executions, ethnic violence and sexual violence being used as a weapon of war.

Tom Fletcher, the top UN official for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief, recently posted about his trip to el-Fashercalling the city a “crime scene” after it fell to RSF forces last month.

Sudan has suffered three internal wars within the last 40 years alone, with previous conflicts stretching from 1955 to 1972 and from 1983 to 2005.

Trump, meanwhile, has sought to brand himself as the “peace president”, despite an expanding bombing campaign in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean.

He said in his second inaugural address in January: “My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier.”

Trump and his allies claim the US president has ended “eight wars in eight months”, although critics question whether the peace deals he has struck will last.

In some cases, attacks have continued, as is the case with Israel’s war in Gazawhich UN experts consider a genocide. In the case of Egypt and Ethiopia, critics argue there was no war to end, although tensions have long simmered between the two countries.

Still, leaders of several of the countries involved — including Israel, Armenia and Azerbaijan — have pledged to nominate Trump for his much sought-after Nobel Prize.

In the case of Sudan, Trump highlighted the dire humanitarian needs of the civilians caught in the crossfire.

“Food, doctors, and everything else are desperately needed,” he wrote on Wednesday.